SALES LETTERS

The sales letter is the most important element of the standard direct mail
package. It takes the place of a salesperson and provides sellers with the
opportunity for personal, one-on-one communication with their prospects.
In addition to their use in
direct mail,
sales letters are also used by salespeople in a variety of
situations—from customer communications to internal letters written
for others on the
sales force.

A standard direct-mail package usually includes an outer envelope, a reply
envelope, a brochure, and a response device in addition to the sales
letter. The direct-mail letter is a sales letter and provides the
opportunity to directly address the interests and concerns of the
recipient. In a sense the letter replaces the salesperson in face-to-face
selling. The letter typically spells out the benefits of the offer in
detail. The more personal the sales letter, the more effective it
generally is. To be successful the letter writer must be intimately
familiar with not only the product or service and its benefits, he or she
must know and understand the person to whom the letter is addressed.

A sales letter can be analyzed and discussed in terms of its components,
including the letterhead and size of the letter, the salutation, the lead
or opening, the body of the letter and its close, the signing of the
letter, and the postscript. The look of a direct-mail sales letter is also
important. Typeface selection, use of a second color, frequent indents and
bullets, and other ways to highlight or emphasize certain parts of the
letter play an important role in a sales letter's success.

Successful sales letters usually begin by spelling out some of the
benefits of the product or service being sold. This is done in a way that
captures the reader's attention. It may involve placing a lead
sentence over the salutation or inside what is known as a Johnson Box, so
named after 20th-century copywriter Frank Johnson who effectively used
boxed messages to sell magazine subscriptions. Once the letter's
lead has grabbed the reader's attention, the body of the letter
follows to generate interest and motivate the reader to action. This is
often accomplished by addressing the reader in a direct, personal manner
and spelling out additional benefits that match the reader's known
interests and needs. A successful sales letter may be as long as four
pages or as short as one. There is no rule covering the length of a sales
letter, only that it be long enough to tell an effective sales story.

The postscript, or P.S., is one of the most effective parts of a sales
letter. Studies have shown that people who don't spend time reading
the entire letter usually glance at the end of the letter and read the
postscript—if there is one. Good letter writers know
that the postscript is likely to be read, so they manage to include an
especially attractive restatement of the offer, a key benefit, or other
inducements to action in the postscript.

A "lift letter" is a variant of the direct-mail sales letter
that is often added to a direct-mail package to "lift" the
response rate. The lift letter often carries the message, "Read
this only if you've decided not to accept our offer," or
something similar to grab the recipient's attention one more time.

Another variant of the direct-mail sales letter is the testimonial, or
endorsement, letter. While some sales letters may incorporate testimonials
into the body of the letter, in other cases it becomes desirable to
include an entire letter that serves as a testimonial for the product or
service being sold. Product endorsements from real people are used to
provide credibility and overcome the reader's reluctance to accept
advertising
or sales copy at face value.

Outside the realm of direct mail, sales letters are used by salespeople to
deal with a variety of situations. They may send sales letters to
customers and prospects as a lead-in or follow-up to a telephone call or
appointment, to confirm an appointment, as a letter of introduction, as a
"reminder" to buy, and to cover a variety of other selling
situations. Sales letters help salespeople build relationships with their
customers. The letters are used to sell and service accounts. Customers
often perceive letters as being more thoughtful than telephone calls.

Sales letters can also be used effectively to build a marketing team or
sales force. Letters from the sales manager can be used to provide
encouragement and inform the sales staff in a variety of ways. Sales
letters are used to announce changes in territories or commissions,
incentive award offers, recognition of achievement, and other business
matters affecting the sales force.